Turbine water-wheel.



PATENTED APR. 14, 1908.

APPLICATION IILBDSEPTJL 1907.

' mmnm N. Q Q

JOHN ALLEN SMITH, OF COMBS, ARKANSAS.

TURBINE WATER- HE L.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 14, 1908.

Application filed September 4, 1907. Serial No. 391,293.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN ALLEN SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Combs, in the county of Madison and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and useful Turbine Water-Wheel, of which the follow ing is a specification.

This invention has relation to turbine water wheels and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of its parts as hereinafter shown and described.

The object of the invention is to provide a water wheel consisting of a rotating member having a series of vanes or buckets and a sump located centrally with relation to the series of vanes and having helically dis osed outlets for the water directed towar the vanes and means for regulating the quantity pf water which passes through the said out In the accompanyin drawings :-Figure 1 is a vertical sectiona View of the water wheel. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same with art broken away, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the wall of the sump and a portion of the rotating member.

The wheel consists of the pit 1 provided in its bottom with a depending sump 2. The wall of the sump is provided with a helically disposed water outlet 3. The cut-off valve 4 is rotatably mounted within the sump 2 and is provided at its lower edges with the openings 5 which are adapted to register with the water outlets 3 of the sump. Said valve is provided on its inner side with a gear segment 6 with which the gear disk 7 meshes. The disk 7 is mounted upon the shaft 8, the upper end of which passes through the platform 10 and is provided with the crank handle 9. By turning the shaft 8 the valve 4 will be turned which will carry the openings 5 thereof toward or away from the outlets 3 in the wall of the sump for the purpose of regulating the quantity of water which passes through thesaid outlets.

The bearing 11 is centrally mounted upon the bottom of the sump 2 and the shaft 12 is journaled for rotation in said bearing. The cross pieces 13 are attached to the lower portion of the shaft 12 and are located below the bottom' of the sump 2. The ring 14 is supported by the end portion of the cross pieces 13 and surrounds the lower end of the sump 2. The vanes or buckets 15 are vertically mounted upon the ring 14 and the ring 16 is mounted upon the upper end of the said vanes and the said rings 14 and 16 are held together by the bolts 17. The rings 14 and 16 and vanes 15 constitute the water wheel proper and the sump 12 is centrally located within the said wheel and the water in its escapement from the sump is squirted laterally through the outlets 3 against the vanes 15 whereby the water wheel is rotated around the sump which carries around with it the shaft 12.

The advantage gained by having the vanes 15 held between the rings 14 and 16.

which in turn are held together by bolts 17 is that one set of vanes 15 may be readily removed and a set of vanes of different area may be substituted therefor. When the water wheel is used for grinding cereals it is desirable that vanes of greater area than the outlets 3 should be employed so that the jets of water when they pass through the said outlets may spread against the vanes. Thus, a certain amount of elasticity is imparted which especially adapts the wheel to be used for grinding cereals. When, however, it is desired to use the wheel for power purposes, such, for instance, as the generating of electricity, vanes of smaller area are used and the jets of water as they pass through the outlets 3 cannot spread, consequently, the water wheel receives the full force from the jets.

, Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is A water wheel comprising a member mounted for rotation, rings supported upon said member, vanes interposed between the rings, bolts passing through the rings and clamping the vanes in position and a sump centrally located and having outlets disposed toward the vanes.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN ALLEN SMITH.

WVitnesses:

A. O. BURNET, M. E. BURNET. 

